Briefly stated, this invention relates to cleaning equipment and more specifically to hand tools attachable to fluid cleaning machines.
An improved approach to cleaning fabric generally known as "fluid extraction" has become popular and widespread in recent years. Departing significantly from conventional procedures, the fluid extraction procedure has been developed to actually remove soil, dirt etc. from carpets, rugs, upholstery, drapes and related fabrics.
Various shampoo processes have been employed over the years in an attempt to remove soil from carpets and other fabrics, but the scrubbing brushes used in the shampoo processes are often too harsh on many fabrics and on the pile of standard carpets. The scrubbing action of the brushes drives dirt particles and detergent down into the pile of a carpet, for example, where it is temporarily concealed by the resultant matted down pile. Shampoo procedures are thus not satisfactory for many carpet and fabric cleaning jobs.
Whereas shampoo procedures superficially clean the surface of a carpet pile, a fluid extraction method removes soil and carries it away. All fluid extraction apparatus includes a working or cleaning head that moves over the underlying fabric to be cleaned. In the cleaning cycle, a continuous charge of pressurized fluid (usually wet steam with emulsifiers, detergents, deodorants, etc.) penetrates into the carpet pile or fabric to loosen and suspend embedded soil and immediately thereafter the soil is lifted and drawn entirely out of the carpet pile or fabric by a constantly applied and trailing suction force.
Smaller working heads, called hand tools, are used with fluid extraction machines for cleaning upholstery and drapery fabrics. Conventional hand tools have a rear spray chamber and a front suction chamber so the operator may clean fabric while grasping the hand tool and pulling it backwards. The operator or workman intermittently pulls the hand tool through a cleaning stroke and then must lift it back to an extended or reset position prior to sweeping the hand tool through another cleaning stroke.
These known hand tools have flat and relatively sharp edges that necessitate slow cleaning strokes in order to avoid bunching and/or catching on the fabric as the hand tool is pulled backwards.
Moreover, due to the vacuum force exerted through these known hand tools, fabric is often pulled into the bottom opening or mouth of the suction chamber and this action often causes wrinkling of the fabric while further slowing down the cleaning operation.
Another disadvantage with conventional hand tools is that the fluid solution line runs externally of the suction hose coupled to the hand tool. The necessary valves, controls, etc. interconnecting the fluid solution line and the hand tool spray chamber are exposed and are therefore prone to catching on some stationary object. This interferes with cleaning progress and may present a safety hazard. The externally exposed valves, controls, etc. generally make these conventional hand tools bulky, cumbersome and unsightly. With the fluid solution lines being exposed and externally positioned, there is an ever-present risk of rupture, leakage etc. with consequent harm to the operator and damage by spillage to property. In addition, the operator's sleeve may become caught on the externally positioned valves and related components.
The aim of this invention is to avoid the foregoing disadvantages and annoyances, primarily by way of a unique and greatly improved hand tool and also by a special coupling between the hand tool and a fluid cleaning machine.